The Forest Life of the Simiæ—Excellent Climbers, Bad Pedestrians2—Similitude and Difference between the Human Race and the Ape—The Chimpanzee—Chim in Paris—The Gorilla3—The Uran—The Gibbons—The Proboscis4 Monkey—The Huniman—The Wanderoo—The Cercopithecus—A Plundering5 Party—Parental6 Affection of a Cercopithecus—The Maimon—‘Happy Jerry’—The Pig-faced Baboon7—The Derryas—Wide Difference between the Monkeys of both Hemispheres—Distinctive Characters of the American Monkeys—The Stentor Monkey—The Spider Monkeys—The Saïmiri—Friendships between various kinds of Monkeys—Nocturnal Monkeys—Squirrel Monkeys—Their Lively Intelligence—The Loris and Makis.
In the midst of tropical vegetation, the Simiæ lead a free forest-life, for which they might well be envied. The green canopy8 of the woods protects them at every season of the year from the burning rays of a vertical9 sun, flowers of delicious fragrance10 embalm11 the air they breathe, and an endless497 supply of fruits and nuts never allows them to know want, for should the stores near at hand be exhausted12, an easy migration13 to some other district soon restores them to abundance. With an agility14 far surpassing that with which the sailor ascends15 the rigging, and climbs even to the giddy top of the highest mast, they leap from bush-rope to bush-rope, and from bough16 to bough, mocking the tiger-cat and the boa, which are unable to follow them in their rapid evolutions. Formed to live on trees, and not upon the ground, they are as excellent climbers as they are bad pedestrians. Both their fore1 and hind17-feet are shaped as hands, generally with four fingers and a thumb, so that they can seize or grasp a bough with all alike.
Buffon erroneously remarks of the chimpanzee, that he always walks erect18, even when carrying a weight; but this ape, as well as the other anthropomorphous simiæ, proves by the slowness and awkwardness of his movements, when by chance he walks upon even ground, that this position is by no means natural to him, or congenial to his organisation20. Man alone of all creatures, possesses an upright walk; the ape, on the contrary, always stoops, and not to lose his equilibrium21 when walking, is obliged to place his hands upon the back of his head, or on his loins. Thus, in his native wilds, he rarely has recourse to this inconvenient22 mode of progression, and when forced by some chance or other to quit the trees, he leans while walking upon the finger-knuckles of his anterior23 extremities24, a position which in fact, very much resembles walking on all-fours.
It is, indeed, only necessary to compare the long, robust25, and muscular arms of the chimpanzee with his weaker and shorter hind-feet, to be at once convinced that he was never intended for walking. But see with, what rapidity, with what power and grace, he moves from branch to branch, his hind-legs serving him only as hold-fasts, while his chief strength is in his arms. The tree is, without all doubt, for him what the earth is for us, the air for the bird, or the water for the fish.
The simiæ of the Old World are all distinguished26 by the common character of a narrow partition of the nose like that of man, and by the same number of teeth, each jaw27 being provided with ten grinders, two canine28 teeth, and four incisors, as in the human race. The large apes, or tailless monkeys, resemble us besides in many other respects, as well in their external498 appearance as in their anatomical structure; and form, as it were, the caricature of man, both by their gestures and by glimpses of a higher intelligence.
Creatures so remarkably29 endowed have naturally at all times attracted a great share of attention, for if even the lowest links in the chain of animated30 beings lay claim to our interest, how much more must this be the case with beings whose faculties31 seem almost to raise them to the rank of our relations. The question how far this similarity extends has naturally given rise to many acute investigations32 and been differently answered, according as naturalists33 were more or less inclined to depress man to the level of the ape, or to widen the gulf35 between them. The former, pointing to the brutality36 of the lowest savages38, would willingly make us believe that we are nothing but an improved edition of the Uran, while the latter cite in favour of their opinion, the incommensurable distance which exists between even the most degraded specimens40 of humanity and the most perfect quadrumana. Man alone is capable of continually progressive improvement; in him alone each generation inherits the acquirements of its fathers, and transmits the growing treasure to its sons, while the ape, like all other animals, constantly remains41 at the same point. The lowest savage39 knows how to make fire; the ape, though he may have seen the operation performed a thousand times, and have enjoyed the genial19 warmth of the glowing embers, will never learn the simple art. His hairy skin is a sufficient proof of his low intellect, an infallible sign that as he never would be able to provide himself with an artificial clothing, Nature was obliged to protect him against the inclemencies of the cold nights and the pouring rain. As man advances in age, his mind acquires a greater depth and a wider range. In the ape, on the contrary, signs of a livelier intelligence are only exhibited during youth, and as the animal waxes in years, its physiognomy acquires a more brutal37 expression; its forehead recedes42, its jaws43 project, and instead of expanding to a higher perfection, its mental faculties are evidently clouded by a premature44 decline.
Both in Africa and Asia, we find large anthropomorphous apes, but while the Chimpanzee and the Gorilla exclusively belong to the African wilds, the Uran and the Gibbons are confined to the torrid regions of South Asia.
499 The Chimpanzee (Simia troglodytes) attains46 a height of about five feet, but seems much smaller from his stooping attitude. He inhabits the dense47 forests on the west coast of Africa, particularly near the river Gaboon, and as his travels are facilitated by his fatherland not being too far distant from Europe, there is hardly a Zoological Garden of any note that does not exhibit a chimpanzee among its lions. One of the finest specimens ever seen was kept a few years since in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, where the mild climate, agreeable diet (he drank his pint48 of Bordeaux daily), and lively society of the French maintained him in wonderful health and spirits.
‘The last time I saw him’ (May 1854), says an accomplished49 naturalist34,40 ‘he came out to inhale50 the morning air in the large circular inclosure in front of the monkey palace, which was built for our poor relations by M. Thiers. Here Chim began his day by a leisurely51 promenade52, casting pleased and thankful glances towards the sun, the beautiful sun of early summer.
RUFOUS COATIMONDI
‘He had three satellites, Coatimondis, either by chance or to amuse him, and while making all manner of eyes at a young lady, who supplied the Singerie with pastry53 and cakes, one of the coatimondis came up stealthily behind, and dealt him a small but malicious54 bite. Chim looked round with astonishment55 at this audacious outrage56 on his person, and put his hand hastily upon the wound, but without losing his temper in the least. He walked deliberately57 to the other side of the circle, and fetched a cane58 which he had dropped in his promenade. He returned with majestic59 wrath60 upon his brow, mingled61, I thought, with contempt, and taking coati by the tail, commenced punishment with his cane, administering such blows as his victim could bear without permanent injury, and applied62 with equal justice on the ribs63 at either side. When he thought enough had been done, he disposed of coati, without moving a muscle of his countenance64, by a500 left-handed jerk, which threw the delinquent65 high in air, head over heels.
‘He came down a sadder and a better coati, and retired66 with shame and fear to a distant corner. Having executed this act of justice, Chim betook himself to a tree. A large baboon, who had in the meantime made his appearance in the circle, thought this was a good opportunity of doing a civil thing, and accordingly mounted the tree, and sat down smilingly, as baboons67 smile, upon the next fork. Chim slowly turned his head at this attempt at familiarity, measured the distance, raised his hind foot, and as composedly as he had caned69 the coati, kicked the big baboon off his perch70 into the arena71 below. This abasement72 seemed to do the baboon good, for he also retired like the coati, and took up his station on the other side.’
The body of the chimpanzee is covered with long hair on the head, shoulders, and back, but much thinner on the breast and belly73. The arms and legs are not so disproportionate as those of the uran, the fore-fingers not quite touching74 the knees when the animal stands upright. The upper part of the head is very flat, with a retiring forehead, and a prominent bony ridge75 over the eye-brows, the mouth is wide, the ears large, the nose flat, and the face of a blackish-brown colour.
From this short notice it will be seen at once that friend Chim has not the least claim to beauty, but yet he is far from equalling the hideous76 deformity of the Gorilla, whom M. Du Chaillu has so prominently introduced to public notice. This savage animal, which is covered with black hair like the chimpanzee, and resembles it in the proportion of its body and limbs, though its form is much more robust, unites a most ferocious77 and undaunted temper with an herculean bodily strength, and is said to hold undisputed dominion78 of the hill-forests in the interior of Lower Guinea, forcing even the panther to ignominious79 flight.
To kill a gorilla is considered by the negroes as a most courageous80 exploit; and Dr. Savage, an American missionary81 on the coast of Guinea, who, in a memoir82 published at Boston in the year 1847, was the first to point out the generic83 differences between this formidable ape and the chimpanzee, tells us that a slave having shot a male and female gorilla, whose skeletons501 afterwards came into his possession, was immediately set at liberty and proclaimed the prince of hunters.
M. Du Chaillu’s description of his first encounter with an adult gorilla, shows that this distinction was by no means unmerited, and that it requires all the coolness and determination of an accomplished sportsman to face an animal of such appalling84 ferocity and power. ‘The under-bush swayed rapidly just ahead, and presently before us stood an immense male gorilla. He had gone through the jungle on his all-fours, but when he saw our party he erected85 himself, and looked us boldly in the face. He stood about a dozen yards from us, and was a sight I think I shall never forget. Nearly six feet high (he proved four inches shorter), with immense body, huge chest, and great muscular arms, with fiercely glaring, large deep-grey eyes, and a hellish expression of face, which seemed to me like some night-mare vision; thus stood before us the king of the African forest. He was not afraid of us. He stood there and beat his breast with his huge fists, till it resounded86 like an immense bass88-drum, which is their mode of offering defiance89, meantime giving vent90 to roar after roar. The roar of the gorilla is the most singular and awful noise heard in these African woods. It begins with a sharp bark like an angry dog, then glides91 into a deep bass roll which literally92 and closely resembles the roll of distant thunder along the sky, for which I have been sometimes tempted93 to take it when I did not see the animal. So deep is it that it seems to proceed less from the mouth and throat than from the deep chest and vast paunch. His eyes began to flash deeper fire as we stood motionless on the defensive94, and the crest95 of short hair which stands on his forehead began to twitch96 rapidly up and down, while his powerful fangs97 were shown as he again sent forth98 a thunderous roar.
‘And now truly he reminded me of nothing but some hellish dream-creature; a being of that hideous order, half-man, half-beast, which we find pictured by old artists in some representations of the infernal regions. He advanced a few steps, then stopped to utter that hideous roar again, advanced again, and finally stopped when at a distance of about six yards from us. And here, just as he began another of his roars, beating his breast in rage, we fired and killed him. With a groan99 which had502 something terribly human in it, and yet was full of brutishness, he fell forward on his face. The body shook convulsively for a few minutes, the limbs moved about in a struggling way, and then all was quiet—death had done its work, and I had leisure to examine the huge body. It proved to be five feet eight inches high, and the muscular development of the arms and breast showed what immense strength he had possessed100.’
Deep in the swampy101 forests of Sumatra and Borneo, lives the famous Uran, or ‘Mias’ as he is called by the Malays. He is less human in his shape than the chimpanzee, as his hind-legs are shorter and his arms so long that they reach to his ankles, but in intelligence he is supposed to be his superior. The jaws are more projecting, and the thick pouting102 lips add to the brutal expression of his physiognomy. While in a well-proportioned human face the distance from the chin to the nose forms but a third of the total length, it amounts to one-half in the uran. But little of the restlessness of the monkey is to be seen in him. He loves an indolent repose103, and the necessity for procuring104 food seems alone capable of rousing him from his laziness. When satiated, he immediately resumes his favourite position, sitting for hours together upon a branch, with bent105 back, with eyes immovably staring upon the ground, and uttering from time to time a melancholy106 growl107. He generally spends the night on the crown of a nibong-palm or of a screw pine: he often also seeks a refuge against the wind and cold among the orchids108 and ferns which cover the branches of the giant trees. There he spreads his couch of small twigs109 and leaves, for he distinguishes himself from all other apes by his not sleeping in a sitting position, but on the back or on one side, and in inclement110 weather he is even said to cover his body with a layer of foliage111. The Dyaks affirm that the Mias is never attacked by other animals, except by the crocodile and the tiger-snake. When there are no fruits in the jungle, he goes to the river banks, where he finds many young shoots which he likes to eat, and fruits which grow near to the water. Then the crocodile sometimes tries to seize him, but the Mias springs upon it, lacerates and kills it. An old Dyak chieftain told Mr. Wallace that he had once witnessed a combat of this kind, in which the Mias is invariably the conqueror112. When attacked by a tiger-snake, he seizes the reptile113 with his hands503 and kills it with a vigorous bite. The Mias is very strong, stronger than any other animal of the jungle.
Rajah Brooke, who observed the sluggish114 Urans in their wild state, relates that even when chased and alarmed by the shouts of men and the firing, they never went from tree to tree faster than a man might easily follow through the jungle below. In general they sought the very summit of a lofty tree, and often remained seated without changing their position whilst several shots were discharged at them. The Dyaks catch them in the following manner. Having discovered the animal in a tree, they approach without disturbing him, and as quickly as possible cut down all the trees around the one he is in. Being previously115 provided with poles, some with nooses116 attached to the ends and others forked, they fell the isolated117 tree, and noosing118 and forking down the uran, soon make him their captive.
The series of the large anthropomorphous apes closes with the Gibbons. Their arms, which reach to the ankle joints119 when the animal is standing120 erect, are longer than those of the uran; their brain, and consequently their intelligence, is less developed; and moreover, like all the following simiæ of the Old World, they possess callosities on each side of the tail. Their size is inferior to that of the uran, and their body is covered with thicker hair, grey, brown, black, or white—according to the species—but never party-coloured, as is the case with many of the long-tailed monkeys.
To the gibbons belong the black Siamang of Sumatra—who, assembled in large troops, hails the first blush of early morn, and bids farewell to the setting sun with dreadful clamours—the black, white-bearded Lar of Siam and Malacca, and the Wou-Wou (Hylobates leuciscus), who, hanging suspended by his long arms, and swinging to and fro in the air, allows one to approach within fifty yards, and then, suddenly dropping upon a lower branch, climbs again leisurely to the top of the tree. He is a quiet, solitary121 creature of a melancholy peaceful nature, pursuing a harmless life, feeding upon fruits in the vast untrodden recesses122 of the forest; and his peculiar123 noise is in harmony with the sombre stillness of these dim regions, commencing like the gurgling of water when a bottle is being filled, and ending with a long loud wailing124 cry, which resounds125 throughout504 the leafy solitude126 to a great distance, and is sometimes responded to from the depths of the forest by another note as wild and melancholy.
Besides the uran and the gibbons, Asia exclusively possesses the Semnopitheci and the Macaques, while Africa, besides the chimpanzee and the gorilla, enjoys the undivided honour of giving birth to the families of the Cercopitheci, Mangabeys, Colobi, Magots, and Baboons.
The Semnopitheci are characterised by a short face, rounded ears, a slender body, short thumbs, and a strong muscular tail, terminated by a close tuft of hair, and surpassing in length that of all the other quadrumana of the Old World. To this genus belongs the celebrated127 Proboscis Monkey (Semnopithecus nasicus) of Borneo, who is distinguished from all other simiæ by the possession of a prominent nasal organ, which lends a highly ludicrous expression to the melancholy aspect of his physiognomy. ‘When excited and angry,’ says Mr. Adams, who had many opportunities of examining this singular creature in its native woods, ‘the female resembles some tanned and peevish128, hag, snarling129 and shrewish. They progress on all-fours, and sometimes, while on the ground, raise themselves upright and look about them. When they sleep, they squat130 on their hams, and bow their heads upon the breast. When disturbed, they utter a short impatient cry, between a sneeze and a scream, like that of a spoilt and passionate131 child; and in the selection of their food they appear very dainty, frequently destroying a fruit, and hardly tasting it. When they emit their peculiar wheezing132 or hissing133 sound, they avert134 and wrinkle the nose, and open the mouth wide. In the male, the nose is a curved, tubular trunk, large, pendulous135, and fleshy; but in the female it is smaller, recurved, and not caruncular.’
Under the ugly form of the Huniman (Semnopithecus Entellus), the Hindoos venerate136 the transformed hero who abstracted the sweet fruit of the mango from the garden of a giant in Ceylon, and enriched India with the costly137 gift. Out of gratitude138 for this service, the Hindoos allow him the free use of their gardens, and take great care to protect him from sacrilegious Europeans. While the French naturalist Duvaucel was at Chandernagor, a guard of pious139 Brahmins was busy scaring away the sacred animals with cymbals140 and drums, lest the505 stranger, to whom they very justly attributed evil intentions, might be tempted to add their skins to his collection.
The Semnopitheci are scattered141 over Asia in so great a multiplicity of forms, that Ceylon alone possesses four different species, each of which has appropriated to itself a different district of the wooded country, and seldom encroaches on the domain142 of its neighbours. ‘When observed in their native wilds,’ says Sir J. E. Tennent, ‘a party of twenty or thirty of the Wanderoos of the low country, the species best known in Europe (Presbytes cephalopterus), is generally busily engaged in the search for berries and buds. They are seldom to be seen on the ground, and then only when they have descended143 to recover seeds or fruit that have fallen at the foot of their favourite trees. In their alarm, when disturbed, their leaps are prodigious144, but generally speaking their progress is made not so much by leaping as by swinging from branch to branch, using their powerful arms alternately, and when baffled by distance, flinging themselves obliquely145 so as to catch the lower bough of an opposite tree; the momentum146 acquired by their descent being sufficient to cause a rebound147, that carries them again upwards148 till they can grasp a higher branch, and thus continue their headlong flight. In these perilous149 achievements wonder is excited less by the surpassing agility of these little creatures, frequently encumbered150 as they are by their young, which cling to them in their career, than by the quickness of their eye and the unerring accuracy with which they seem to calculate almost the angle at which a descent would enable them to cover a given distance, and the recoil151 to elevate themselves again to a higher altitude.’
The African Colobi greatly resemble the Asiatic Semnopitheci, but differ by the remarkable152 circumstance of having no thumb on the hands of their anterior extremities.
The Cercopitheci likewise possess a large tail, which is, however, not more or less pendulous, as in the semnopitheci, but generally carried erect over the back. They have also a longer face, and their cheeks are furnished with pouches153, in which, like the pelican154 or the hamster, they are capable of stowing part of their food; an organisation which seems to denote that they are inhabitants of a country where the forests are less extensive. They are not devoid155 of intelligence, but extremely restless and noisy. Many that were mild and amiable156 while young, undergo506 at a later period a complete change of character. The only way, according to M. Isidore Geoffroy, to curb157 the temper of one of these full-grown monkeys is to extract the sharp and formidable canine teeth, with which it is capable of inflicting158 the most dangerous wounds. When disarmed159, it immediately alters its manners, as it now feels its impotence. Several of the monkeys belonging to this group are distinguished by the lively colours of their fur; that of the Diana Monkey (Cercopithecus diana) among others, which is a native of Congo and Guinea, sells for a considerable price.
Nothing can be more amusing to the disinterested160 spectator or more provoking to the proprietor161 than to witness the operations of a troop of Cercopitheci while plundering a dhourra or maize162 field. Under the guidance of an old and experienced male, the impudent163 robbers set out on their foraging164 expedition. The female monkeys carry with them their young ones, who, clasping their mother’s neck with their fore-feet, sometimes also wind their little caudal appendages166 as an additional support round her tail. At first the band approaches with great caution, the leader constantly at its head, and the others following from branch to branch. Sometimes he climbs to the top of a high tree for the purpose of reconnoitring, and finding all safe, a few tranquillising guttural sounds make known to his followers167 the satisfactory results of his inspection168. Alighting from the tree nearest to the field, a few leaps bring them to the scene of action, where their first care is to stuff their wide cheek pouches with provender169 as fast as they can. This done, they allow themselves more leisure and at the same time become more choice in the selection of their food. Every ear of maize or dhourra after having been plucked from the plant is now carefully examined, and if not approved of, thrown away. When a monkey has an abundance of food at his disposal, he will spoil at least ten times more than he eats. The troop now feeling itself thoroughly170 secure, the mothers allow their young, who are generally kept under strict control, to leave them and amuse themselves with their play-fellows. The little creatures, who by the bye are intensely ugly, have been so well brought up that at the first sound of alarm they immediately return to their mothers, who, like all other members of the band, implicitly171 rely upon the watchfulness172 of the leader.
507 From time to time this cautious ‘old gentleman’ will interrupt the most savoury repast, raise himself on his hind-legs, stand upright like a man, and look about him. A single inimitable gurgling tone of alarm gathers in a moment the troop of his followers; the mothers recall their young ones, and all are instantly ready for flight; each carrying with him as much provender as he can. The nearest tree is ascended173 in a trice, and from this starting point the hurried flight goes on from branch to branch. The expertness of the monkeys in climbing and springing is indeed wonderful, and surpasses that of all other animals. For them there is no impediment: the sharpest thorns, the thickest hedges—nothing retards174 them. The most daring leaps are executed with an admirable ease. Seizing a high branch with its outstretched hand, a monkey will swing himself upon it, a feat175 which no cat or squirrel can imitate; or he will throw himself from the summit of a tree upon a branch far below, which bends under the sudden shock of his weight, and then makes use of the recoil to perform a mighty176 horizontal bound. While this precipitate177 flight is going on, the leader still directs the movements of the band, which only relaxes in its haste when he thinks proper. All this time they show not the least signs of confusion, and such is their presence of mind that it preserves them from all danger. In fact they have no enemies to fear but other monkeys and the serpents; for they easily get out of the reach of the larger beasts of prey178, and no bird will attack them, as it well knows that it would be at once assailed179 by a whole band. Thus a life as void of care as life can be, has fallen to the lot of these free denizens180 of the forest.
Brehm relates an affecting instance of parental friendship in a tame male Cercopithecus. Koko (as the monkey was called) had adopted a young one of the same species, still very much in want of his mother’s assistance. He treated it with all the affection of a parent, watched over it while eating, and warmed it at night in his arms. He was constantly anxious about its welfare, got uneasy when it strayed away only a few paces, and called it immediately back again at the least apprehension181 of danger. When Brehm tried to remove it, he got furious and defended his adopted child with all his might. Thus both monkeys lived together several months, when the young one508 fell ill and soon after died. The sorrow of the bereaved182 foster-father was excessive, not like that of an animal, but similar to the grief of a deeply-feeling man. At first he took the stiffening183 body in his arms, caressed184 it in all possible manners, and attended upon it as before, with the tenderest care. He then placed it in a sitting posture185 before him, looked at it attentively186, and uttered a plaintive187 cry when he saw it collapse188. Again and again he tried to recall it to life; and every time he uttered a loud cry when he saw that his favourite remained dead. The whole day he took no food, the dead little monkey occupied him constantly. At length Brehm took away the body by force and threw it over the high wall of the courtyard into the garden. But in a few minutes the monkey had bitten the strong rope through to which he was fastened, sprang over the wall and returned with the body in his arms. Brehm now again bound him fast, took the dead body away and threw it into a deep well. The monkey immediately freed himself once more from his bonds, remained for hours searching for the body, and then left the house for ever. In the evening of the same day he was seen on his way to the woods. ‘To call such and similar actions instinct,’ says Brehm, ‘would be ridiculous. They are proofs of intellect and deep feeling. There are apes who surpass many obtuse189 members of the human race in sense, and their intelligence grows by experience, as I have frequently observed in tame monkeys. Without hesitation190 we may rank the simiæ next to man as the most highly developed animals, not only in their physical organisation, but also in intelligence.’
The tribes of the Mangabeys, Macaques, Magots, and Cynopitheci form the links between the cercopitheci and the baboons. Their shape is less slender than that of the former, their frontal bone is more developed, particularly above the eyebrows191, and their face is longer. They are all of them provided with cheek-pouches. Several of the macaques have a very short tail, and the magots, or Barbary apes, and the cynopithecus of the Philippine Islands, have none, thus resembling the large anthropomorphous apes, but widely differing from them in other respects.
The Magot is the only European species, and seems exclusively confined in our part of the world to the rock of Gibraltar, though some authors affirm that it is found in other509 parts of Andalusia, and even in the province of Grenada. It would no doubt long since have been extirpated192, if the British Government had not taken it under its especial protection, and imposed the penalty of a heavy fine upon its wanton destruction.
The Cynocephali (Baboons and Mandrills) show at once by their Greek name that a dog-like snout gives them a more bestial193 expression than belongs to the rest of the monkey tribes, and that of all the simiæ of the Old World they are most widely distant from man. In size they are only surpassed by the gorilla and the uran, and if in the latter the physiognomy becomes more brutal in its expression with advancing age, this degradation194 is much greater in the baboons.
Their canine teeth in particular acquire a greater sharpness than those of almost every other carnivorous animal, so that these malignant195 and cruel animals, armed with such powerful weapons, may well be reckoned among the most formidable of the wild beasts of Africa. As if to render them complete pictures of depravity, their manners also are so shamelessly filthy196, that the curiosity they excite soon changes into horror and disgust.
The short-tailed mandrills inhabit the west coast of Africa. The Maimon is the most remarkable of the whole genus for brilliancy and variety of colour; its furrowed197 cheeks are magnificently striped with violet, blue, purple, and scarlet198, so as more to resemble an artificial tattooing199 than a natural carnation200. As the creature increases in age, the nose also becomes blood-red. On the loins the skin is almost bare, and of a violet-blue colour, gradually altering into a bright blood-red, which is more conspicuous201 on the hinder parts, where it surrounds the tail, which is generally carried erect.
Even among the base mandrills there are some which maintain in confinement202 the milder character of their youth, and on whom education has had such influence as to allow them to be introduced into company without fear of a too flagitious breach203 of decorum. One of these pattern animals was ‘Happy Jerry,’ long kept in a London menagerie, and who gained such fame by his good manners as to be honoured by a special invitation to Windsor. Jerry knew how to sit upon a chair, and worthily204 to fill it, as he was nearly five feet long. He relished510 his pot of porter, which he used to drink out of a pewter can, and smoked his pipe with all the gravity of a German philosopher. But even Jerry was not to be trusted out of the sight of his keepers.
MANDRILL (CYNOCEPHALUS MAIMON).
PIG-FACED BABOON.
The real baboons are distinguished from the mandrills by a long tail, terminated by a tuft of hair. The great baboon of Senegal (Cynocephalus Sphinx) is by no means devoid of intelligence, and learns many tricks when taught from early youth. His temper, however, is brutal and choleric205, though less so than the Chacma (Cynocephalus porcarius), or pig-faced baboon, which is found in the vicinity of Cape206 Town, among others on the celebrated Table Mountain. Young chacmas are often kept as domestic animals, performing the offices of a mastiff, whom they greatly surpass in strength. Thus they immediately announce by their growling207 the approach of a stranger, and are even employed for a variety of useful purposes which no dog would be able to perform. Here one is trained to blow the bellows208 of a smith; there another to guide a team of oxen. When a stream is to be crossed, the chacma immediately jumps upon the back of one of the oxen, and remains sitting till he has no longer to fear the wet, which he loves as little as the cat.
In Abyssinia, Nubia, and South Arabia we find the Derryas (C. Hamadryas), which enjoyed divine honours among the ancient Egyptians. The general colour of the hair is a mixture of light-grey and cinnamon, and in the male that of the head and neck forms a long mane, falling back over the shoulders. The face is extremely long, naked, and of a dirty flesh-colour. This ugly monkey was revered209 as the symbol of Thoth, the divine father of literature and the judge of man after death. Formerly210 temples were erected to his honour, and numerous priests ministered to his wants, but now, by a sad change of511 baboon-fortune, he is shot without ceremony, and his skin pulled over his ears to be stuffed and exhibited in profane211 museums.
The monkeys of the New World differ still more widely from those of the Old than the copper-coloured Indian from the woolly Negro. One sees at once on comparing them that whole oceans roll between them, that they have not migrated from one hemisphere to another, but belong to two different phases of creation. While the nasal partition of the Old World simiæ is narrow as in man, it is broad without exception in all the American monkeys, so that the nostrils212 are widely separated and open sideways. The dental apparatus213 is also different, for while the monkeys of our hemisphere have thirty-two teeth, those of the western world generally possess thirty-six.
The tailless monkeys or apes, and the short-tailed baboons, are peculiar to our hemisphere, and it is only here that we find almost voiceless simiæ, while the American quadrumana are all of them tailed, short-snouted, and generally endowed with stentorian214 powers. Finally, it would be as useless to look among the western monkeys for cheek-pouches and sessile callosities, as among those of the Old World for prehensile215 tails.
In the boundless216 forests of tropical South America, the monkeys form by far the greater part of the mammalian inhabitants, for each species, though often confined within narrow limits, generally consists of a large number of individuals. The various arboreal217 fruits which the savage population of these immeasurable wilds is unable to turn to advantage, fall chiefly to their share; many of them also live upon insects. They are never seen in the open savannahs, as they never touch the ground unless compelled by the greatest necessity. The trees of the forests furnish them with all the food they require; it is only in the woods that they feel ‘at home’ and secure against the attacks of mightier218 animals; why then should they quit them for less congenial haunts? For their perpetual wanderings from branch to branch, Nature has bountifully endowed many of them, not only with robust and muscular limbs and large hands, whose moist palms facilitate the seizure219 of a bough, but in many cases also with a prehensile tail, which may deservedly be called a fifth hand, and is hardly less wonderful in its structure than the proboscis of the elephant. Covered with short hair, and completely bare underneath220 towards the end,512 this admirable organ rolls round the boughs221 as though it were a supple222 finger, and is at the same time so muscular that the monkey frequently swings with it from a branch like the pendulum223 of a clock. Scarce has he grasped a bough with his long arms, when immediately coiling his fifth hand round the branch, he springs on to the next, and secure from a fall, hurries so rapidly through the crowns of the highest trees that the sportsman’s ball has scarce time to reach him in his flight.
When the Miriki (Ateles hypoxanthus), the largest of the Brazilian monkeys, sitting or stretched out at full length, suns himself on a high branch, his tail suffices to support him in his aërial resting-place, and even when mortally wounded, he remains a long time suspended by it, until life being quite extinct, his heavy body, whizzing through the air, and breaking many a bough as it descends224, falls with a loud crash to the ground.
In general the American monkeys are distinguished by a much milder disposition225 than those of the eastern hemisphere, and retain at an advanced age the playful manners of their youth. They are commonly more easy to tame, and learn many little tricks which are taught with much greater difficulty to their restless Asiatic or African cousins. Their weakness, their short canine teeth, their good temper, render them harmless play-fellows, and thus they are generally preferred in Europe to the Old World monkeys, though they are not so lively, and constantly have a more or less dejected mien226, as if they still regretted the primitive227 freedom of the forest.
The American monkeys may be conveniently divided into two large groups; with or without a prehensile tail. To the first great subdivision belong the Howling Monkeys or Aluates (Mycetes), the Spider Monkeys (Ateles), the Sajous, and several other intermediate genera.
The Aluates are chiefly remarkable for their stentorian powers, which no other animal can equal or approach. When the nocturnal howl of the Large Red Howling Monkey (Mycetes ursinus) bursts forth from the woods, you would suppose that all the beasts of the forest were collecting for the work of carnage. Now it is the tremendous roar of the jaguar228 as he springs on his prey; now it changes to his terrible and deep-toned growlings as he is pressed on all sides by superior513 force; and now you hear his last dying moan, beneath a mortal wound. Some naturalists have supposed that these awful sounds can only proceed from a number of the red monkeys howling in concert, but one of them alone is equal to the task. In dark and cloudy weather, and just before a squall of rain, the Aluate often howls in the day-time; and on advancing cautiously to the high and tufted tree where he is sitting, one may then have a good opportunity of seeing the large lump in his throat, the sounding-board which gives such volume to his voice, move up and down as he exerts his stentorian lungs.
HOWLING MONKEY.
The howling monkeys are the most robust of the American simiæ, and in spite of their long tail have a certain analogy with the urans, whom they may be said to represent in the New World. Their various species range from Paraguay to Honduras, while the Ateles or Spider Monkeys, thus named from their long slender limbs and sprawling229 movements, extend over the whole surface of tropical America. The marimonda (Ateles Belzebub) is even found on the eastern slopes of the Andes at a height of 10,000 feet above the level of the sea, an elevation230 attained231 by him alone of all the quadrumanous tribes. Like the African Colobi, the spider monkeys have no thumb on their fore-hands; their voice is a soft and flute-like whistling, resembling the piping of a bird. It is said that when a mother burthened with her young hesitates to take too wide a leap, paterfamilias seizes the branch she intends to reach, and swings himself to and fro with it, until his companion is able to attain45 it by a spring.
The second group of American monkeys, consisting of those with a non-prehensile tail, comprises the Sakis, the Saïmiris, the Ouistitis, &c.
The Sakis, or Fox-tailed Monkeys, are distinguished by their bushy tail, which, however, in some species, is very short. They usually live in the outskirts232 of forests, in small societies of ten or twelve. Upon the slightest provocation233, they display a morose234 and savage temper, and, like the howling-monkeys, utter loud cries before sunrise and after sunset.
514 The elegant ease of their movements, their soft fur, the large size of their brilliant eyes, and their little round face, entitle the Saïmiris to be called the most graceful235 of monkeys. On speaking to them for some time, they listen with great attention, and soon lay their tiny hand upon the speaker’s mouth, as if to catch the words as they pass through his lips. They recognise the objects represented in an engraving236 even when not coloured, and endeavour to seize the pictured fruits or insects. The latter, and particularly spiders, which they catch most dexterously237 with their lips or hands, seem to be their favourite food. The weak little creatures are very fond of being carried about by larger monkeys, and cling fast to their back. At first the animal to which they thus attach themselves endeavours to get rid of its burden, but finding it impossible, it soon becomes reconciled to its fate, and after a short time an intimate affection arises between them, so that when the saïmiri is busy chasing insects, his friend, before leaving the spot, first gives him notice by a gentle cry.
The habits of the Nyctopitheci, or nocturnal monkeys, bear a great resemblance to those of the bats or flying foxes. The shy and quiet little animals sleep by day, concealed239 in the dense thickets240 of the forest. Their eye and motions are completely feline241. Those which Von Martius observed in his collection, crept by day into a corner of the cage, but after sunset their agility made up for their diurnal242 torpor243.
In Guiana, Schomburgk met with the Nyctipithecus trivirgatus as a domestic animal. ‘A very neat little monkey, shy of light as the owl68 or the bat. A small round head, extremely large yellow eyes, shining in the dark stronger than those of the cat, and tiny short ears, give it a peculiarly comical appearance. When disturbed in its diurnal sleep and dragged forth to the light, its helpless movements excite compassion244; it gropes about as if blind, and lays hold of the first object that comes within its reach, often pressing its face against it to escape the intolerable glare. The darkest corner of the hut is its seat of predilection245, where it lies during day in a perfect asphyxia, from which it can only be roused by blows. But soon after sunset it leaves its retreat, and then it is impossible to see a more lively, active, and merry creature. From hammock it springs to hammock, generally licking the faces of the515 sleepers246, and from the floor to the rafters of the roof, overturning all that is not sufficiently247 fastened to resist its curiosity.’
Its hair, which is grey on the back and orange-coloured on the belly, is much thicker than that of the other monkeys, and somewhat woolly, thus being admirably suited to the colder temperature of its nocturnal rambles248. It ranges over a great part of South America, but on account of its retirement249 during the day is very rarely caught. Its voice is remarkably strong, and, according to Humboldt, is said to resemble the jaguar’s roar, for which reason it is called the Tiger Monkey in the missions along the Orinoco. It lives chiefly on nocturnal insects, thinning their ranks like the bat, but is also said to prey upon small birds like the owl. In the Andes of New Granada, in the large forests of Quindiu, the N. lemurinus lives at an elevation of from four to five thousand feet above the level of the sea, and makes the woods resound87 during the night with his clamorous250 cry of ‘dūrūcŭli.’
The Ouistitis, or Squirrel Monkeys, are distinguished from all the other American quadrumana by the claws with which all their fingers, except the thumbs of their hands, are provided, and which render them excellent service in climbing. They have a very soft fur, and are extremely light and graceful in their movements, as well as elegant in their forms. The young are often not bigger than a mouse, and even a full-grown ouistiti is hardly larger than a squirrel, whom it resembles both in its mode of life, and by its restless activity, as its little head is never quiet. They use their tail, which in many species is handsomely marked by transverse bars, as a protection against the cold, to which they are acutely sensitive. Their numerous species are dispersed251 over all the forests of tropical America, where they live as well upon fruits and nuts as upon insects and eggs; and when they can catch a little bird, they suck its brain with all the satisfaction of an epicure252. They are easily tamed, but very suspicious and irritable253.
The learned French naturalist, Audouin, made some interesting observations on a pair of tame ouistitis, which prove their intelligence to be far superior to that of the squirrels, to whom they are often compared. One of them, while regaling on a bunch of grapes, squirted some of the juice into its eye,516 and never failed from that time to close its eyes while eating of the fruit. In a drawing they recognised not only their own likeness254, but that of other animals. Thus the sight of a cat, and what is still more remarkable, that of a wasp255, frightened them very much, while at the aspect of any other insect, such as a cricket or a cockchafer, they at once rushed upon the engraving, as if anxious to make a meal of the object that deluded256 them with the semblance238 of life.
HANDED LEMUR.
In the forests of tropical Africa and Asia we find a remarkable group of animals, which, though quadrumanous like the monkeys, essentially257 differs from them by possessing long curved claws on the index, and also on the middle finger of the hinder extremities; by a sharp, projecting muzzle258, and by a different dentition. The Loris, remarkable for the slowness of their gait and their large glaring eyes, are exclusively natives of the East Indies; the Galagos, which unite the organisation of the monkeys with the graceful sprightliness259 of the squirrels, are confined solely260 to Africa, where they are chiefly found in the gum-forests of Senegal; the Tarsii, with hinder limbs of a disproportionate length, are restricted to a part of the Indian Archipelago; but the large island of Madagascar, where, strange to say, not a single monkey is found, is the chief seat of the family, being the exclusive dwelling-place of the short-tailed Indri (whom, from his black thick fur and anthropomorphous shape, one would be inclined to reckon among the gibbons), and of the long-tailed Lemurs or Makis. All these gentle and harmless animals are arboreal in their habits, avoid the glaring light of day under the dense covert261 of the forest, and awaken262 to a more active existence as soon as night descends upon the earth. Then the loris, who during the day have slept clinging to a branch, prowl among the forest-boughs in quest of food. Nothing can escape the scrutiny263 of their large glaring eyes; and when they have marked their victim, they cautiously and noiselessly approach till it is within their grasp. The Galagos have at night all the activity of birds, hopping264 from bough to bough on their hind limbs only. They watch the insects flitting among the leaves, listen to the fluttering of517 the moth165 as it darts265 through the air, lie in wait for it, and then spring like lightning upon their prize. The long-legged Tarsii leap about two feet at a spring, and feed chiefly on small lizards266, holding, squirrel-like, their prey in their fore-hands, while they rest on their haunches.
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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pedestrians
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| n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 ) | |
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gorilla
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| n.大猩猩，暴徒，打手 | |
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proboscis
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| n.（象的）长鼻 | |
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plundering
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 ) | |
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parental
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| adj.父母的；父的；母的 | |
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baboon
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| n.狒狒 | |
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canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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vertical
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| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
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fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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embalm
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| v.保存（尸体）不腐 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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migration
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| n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙 | |
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agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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ascends
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的第三人称单数 ) | |
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bough
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| n.大树枝，主枝 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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organisation
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| n.组织，安排，团体，有机休 | |
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equilibrium
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| n.平衡，均衡，相称，均势，平静 | |
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inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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anterior
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| adj.较早的；在前的 | |
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extremities
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| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
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robust
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| adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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canine
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| adj.犬的，犬科的 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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naturalists
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| n.博物学家( naturalist的名词复数 )；（文学艺术的）自然主义者 | |
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naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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brutality
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| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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recedes
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的第三人称单数 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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premature
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| adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的 | |
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attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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attains
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的第三人称单数 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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pint
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| n.品脱 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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inhale
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| v.吸入(气体等)，吸(烟) | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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promenade
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| n./v.散步 | |
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pastry
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| n.油酥面团，酥皮糕点 | |
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malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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delinquent
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| adj.犯法的，有过失的；n.违法者 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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baboons
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| n.狒狒( baboon的名词复数 ) | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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caned
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| vt.用苔杖打（cane的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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arena
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| n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台 | |
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abasement
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| n.滥用 | |
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belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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ignominious
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| adj.可鄙的，不光彩的，耻辱的 | |
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courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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81
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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82
memoir
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| n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录 | |
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83
generic
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| adj.一般的，普通的，共有的 | |
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84
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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85
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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86
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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87
resound
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| v.回响 | |
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88
bass
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| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
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89
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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90
vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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91
glides
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| n.滑行( glide的名词复数 )；滑音；音渡；过渡音v.滑动( glide的第三人称单数 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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92
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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93
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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94
defensive
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| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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95
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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96
twitch
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| v.急拉，抽动，痉挛，抽搐；n.扯，阵痛，痉挛 | |
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97
fangs
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| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
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98
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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99
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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100
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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101
swampy
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| adj.沼泽的，湿地的 | |
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102
pouting
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| v.撅（嘴）( pout的现在分词 ) | |
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103
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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104
procuring
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的现在分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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105
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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106
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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107
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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108
orchids
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| n.兰花( orchid的名词复数 ) | |
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109
twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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110
inclement
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| adj.严酷的，严厉的，恶劣的 | |
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111
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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112
conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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113
reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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114
sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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115
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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116
nooses
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| n.绞索，套索( noose的名词复数 ) | |
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117
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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118
noosing
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| v.绞索，套索( noose的现在分词 ) | |
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119
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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120
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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121
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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122
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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123
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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124
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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125
resounds
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的第三人称单数 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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126
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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127
celebrated
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|
| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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128
peevish
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| adj.易怒的，坏脾气的 | |
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129
snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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130
squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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131
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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132
wheezing
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| v.喘息，发出呼哧呼哧的喘息声( wheeze的现在分词 )；哮鸣 | |
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133
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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134
avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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135
pendulous
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| adj.下垂的；摆动的 | |
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136
venerate
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| v.尊敬，崇敬，崇拜 | |
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137
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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138
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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139
pious
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|
| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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140
cymbals
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| pl.铙钹 | |
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141
scattered
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|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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142
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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143
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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144
prodigious
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|
| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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145
obliquely
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| adv.斜； 倾斜； 间接； 不光明正大 | |
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146
momentum
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| n.动力，冲力，势头；动量 | |
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147
rebound
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| v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回 | |
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148
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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149
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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150
encumbered
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| v.妨碍，阻碍，拖累( encumber的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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151
recoil
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| vi.退却，退缩，畏缩 | |
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152
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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153
pouches
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| n.（放在衣袋里或连在腰带上的）小袋( pouch的名词复数 )；（袋鼠等的）育儿袋；邮袋；（某些动物贮存食物的）颊袋 | |
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154
pelican
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| n.鹈鹕，伽蓝鸟 | |
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155
devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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156
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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157
curb
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| n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制 | |
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158
inflicting
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
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159
disarmed
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| v.裁军( disarm的过去式和过去分词 )；使息怒 | |
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160
disinterested
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| adj.不关心的，不感兴趣的 | |
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161
proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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162
maize
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| n.玉米 | |
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163
impudent
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| adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的 | |
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164
foraging
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| v.搜寻（食物），尤指动物觅（食）( forage的现在分词 )；（尤指用手）搜寻（东西） | |
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165
moth
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| n.蛾，蛀虫 | |
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166
appendages
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| n.附属物( appendage的名词复数 )；依附的人；附属器官；附属肢体（如臂、腿、尾等） | |
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167
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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168
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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169
provender
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| n.刍草；秣料 | |
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170
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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171
implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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172
watchfulness
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| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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173
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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174
retards
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| 使减速( retard的第三人称单数 )； 妨碍； 阻止； 推迟 | |
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175
feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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176
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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177
precipitate
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| adj.突如其来的；vt.使突然发生；n.沉淀物 | |
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178
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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179
assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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180
denizens
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| n.居民，住户( denizen的名词复数 ) | |
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181
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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182
bereaved
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| adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去（希望、生命等）( bereave的过去式和过去分词)；（尤指死亡）使丧失（亲人、朋友等）；使孤寂；抢走（财物） | |
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183
stiffening
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| n. (使衣服等)变硬的材料, 硬化 动词stiffen的现在分词形式 | |
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184
caressed
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| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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185
posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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186
attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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187
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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188
collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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189
obtuse
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| adj.钝的；愚钝的 | |
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190
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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191
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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192
extirpated
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| v.消灭，灭绝( extirpate的过去式和过去分词 )；根除 | |
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193
bestial
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| adj.残忍的；野蛮的 | |
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194
degradation
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| n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变 | |
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195
malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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196
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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197
furrowed
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| v.犁田，开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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198
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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199
tattooing
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| n.刺字，文身v.刺青，文身( tattoo的现在分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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200
carnation
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| n.康乃馨（一种花） | |
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201
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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202
confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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203
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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204
worthily
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| 重要地，可敬地，正当地 | |
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205
choleric
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| adj.易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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206
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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207
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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208
bellows
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| n.风箱；发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的名词复数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的第三人称单数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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209
revered
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| v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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211
profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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212
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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213
apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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214
stentorian
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| adj.大声的，响亮的 | |
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215
prehensile
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| adj.（足等）适于抓握的 | |
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216
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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217
arboreal
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| adj.树栖的；树的 | |
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218
mightier
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| adj. 强有力的，强大的，巨大的 adv. 很，极其 | |
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219
seizure
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| n.没收；占有；抵押 | |
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220
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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221
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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222
supple
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| adj.柔软的，易弯的，逢迎的，顺从的，灵活的；vt.使柔软，使柔顺，使顺从；vi.变柔软，变柔顺 | |
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223
pendulum
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| n.摆，钟摆 | |
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224
descends
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| v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜 | |
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225
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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226
mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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227
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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228
jaguar
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| n.美洲虎 | |
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229
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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230
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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231
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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232
outskirts
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| n.郊外，郊区 | |
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233
provocation
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| n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因 | |
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234
morose
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| adj.脾气坏的，不高兴的 | |
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235
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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236
engraving
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| n.版画；雕刻（作品）；雕刻艺术；镌版术v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的现在分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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dexterously
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| adv.巧妙地，敏捷地 | |
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238
semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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239
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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240
thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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241
feline
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| adj.猫科的 | |
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242
diurnal
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| adj.白天的，每日的 | |
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243
torpor
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| n.迟钝；麻木；（动物的）冬眠 | |
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244
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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245
predilection
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| n.偏好 | |
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246
sleepers
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| n.卧铺（通常以复数形式出现）；卧车( sleeper的名词复数 )；轨枕；睡觉（呈某种状态）的人；小耳环 | |
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247
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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248
rambles
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| （无目的地）漫游( ramble的第三人称单数 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论 | |
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249
retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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250
clamorous
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| adj.吵闹的，喧哗的 | |
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251
dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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252
epicure
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| n.行家，美食家 | |
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253
irritable
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| adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的 | |
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254
likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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255
wasp
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| n.黄蜂，蚂蜂 | |
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256
deluded
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| v.欺骗，哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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257
essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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258
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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259
sprightliness
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| n.愉快，快活 | |
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260
solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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261
covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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262
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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263
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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264
hopping
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| n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式 | |
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265
darts
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| n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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266
lizards
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| n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 ) | |
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